Nite Cap 10-2-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

TODAY

Torlakson Applauds Testing Overhaul - Year 2013

Torlakson Applauds Testing Overhaul - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Testing OverhaulOutdated assessments set aside to measure readiness for college and careersSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson congratulated Governor Jerry Brown and the State Legislature for their work to sweep away outdated tests in favor of modern, c

by mike simpson / 4min 

Full Funding Friday This Week | WeArePCAPS

Full Funding Friday This Week | WeArePCAPS: Full Funding Friday This WeekPosted on October 2, 2013by wearepcapsFull Funding Friday Week FourThis Friday, as part of our ongoing Full Funding Friday Campaign, we will be holding rallies at 7 schools, with parent, staff and student speakers.   We will be circulating our petition for full funding, distributing buttons and stickers with the yellow full f

by mike simpson / 7min 

Paid Family Leave in California: All is not well

Paid Family Leave in California: All is not well « MomsRising Blog: Paid Family Leave in California: All is not wellPosted October 2nd, 2013 by Susan RoseUpdate: On September 24, 2013, Governor Brown signed SB 770, which will take effect of July 1, 2014. This bill will expand the definition of family for the California Paid Family Leave Act. On Jan. 9, 2012, Women’s eNews published my article, “Pa

by mike simpson / 13min 

NYC Educator: The Old, Old Story

NYC Educator: The Old, Old Story: The Old, Old StoryThe more I read about the new evaluation system, the more I go to meetings about it, the more I hear about its intricate, convoluted and inexplicable structure, the more I'm reminded of a story I heard when I first started teaching. I was an English teacher, I had five (!) preps, no idea what the contract said, and I was overwhelmed with paperwor

by mike simpson / 1h 

10-2-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News RoundupDual-language in Washington State - a view from Seattle Globalist.A MacArthur Genius award went to an educational researcher, Angela Duckworth.  From Ed Week:Educational research psychologist and former teacher Angela Duckworth has devoted her career to understanding traits beyond IQ or test-taking abilities that predict a student's success— i

by mike simpson / 1h 

A Parent Confronts a Puppet on BESE | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

A Parent Confronts a Puppet on BESE | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: A Parent Confronts a Puppet on BESEPosted on October 2, 20131 I would like to thank all of you who came out to support our call to take back public education in Louisiana at the Rally this Saturday. I spoke with many parents and teachers (in both public and private schools) about their concerns about the federal Common Core Curriculum, a

by mike simpson / 2h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test Machine

With A Brooklyn Accent: Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test Machine: Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test MachineOPT-OUT/REFUSAL GUIDES FOR EACH STATEOpt-Out/Refusal Guides for each State | United Opt Out National: Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test MachineFriends! I am a coach as much as a teacher and my coach's instinc

by mike simpson / 2h 

KKK asks panel to keep school named after ‘grand wizard’ of white-supremacist group

KKK asks panel to keep school named after ‘grand wizard’ of white-supremacist group: KKK asks panel to keep school named after ‘grand wizard’ of white-supremacist groupBy Valerie Strauss, Published: October 2 at 3:26 pmE-mail the writerNathan Bedford Forrest (nps.gov)Here’s the latest in the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff story about a school in Florida that is still named after the first “grand wiz

by mike simpson / 2h 

Common Writing Standards are Essential for Latino Advancement

Common Writing Standards are Essential for Latino Advancement « NewsTaco: Common Writing Standards are Essential for Latino Advancement By Ray Salazar, NewsTacoBy now, the term “Common Core” has probably found its way into at least one conversation about education, come through in a tweet, or created some buzz, positive or negative.As an English teacher who holds a master’s degree in writing, I’m

by mike simpson / 4h 

10-2-13 — Whole Child Education

Home Page — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGED Pulse Poll Results: Does More Recess Increase Academic Learning?October 1, 2013 by Kit Harris, ASCD ResearchASCD continually seeks to provide solutions to the challenges that face educators of all levels. Recently the ASCD SmartBrief ED Pulse poll addressed the debate about recess in elementary schools.READ MORE »Answers to Your Top Six Shu

by mike simpson / 4h 

10-2-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:  s Achievement First angling for a co-location site in Hartford?Achievement First, Inc. is the charter school management company co-founded by Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor. Achievement First, Inc. won’t take its fair share of bilingual students or students who aren’t proficient in English. Achievement First, Inc. won’t take its fair share of students who ne

by mike simpson / 4h 

Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, October 2, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: New LGBT-specific history lessons planned for L.A. County schoolsEducation HeadlinesWednesday, October 2, 2013Frey: Los Angeles Unified discussing 200-day school yearLos Angeles Unified, the state’s largest school district, is discussing extending its academic year by 20 days, a $300 million proposal that would give Los Angeles the longest sc

by mike simpson / 5h 

October 2, 1968: 45 Years Ago – the Mexico City Massacre During Olympic Games

October 2, 1968: 45 Years Ago – the Mexico City Massacre During Olympic Games: October 2, 1968: 45 Years Ago – the Mexico City Massacre During Olympic Gamesby SOURCE on OCTOBER 2, 2013 · 0 COMMENTSin CIVIL RIGHTS, HISTORY, POLITICS, WORLD NEWSby Daniel Hernandez / IntersectionsEditor: The following was originally written in 2008.[Forty-five] years ago today the Mexican governmentopened fire indisc

by mike simpson / 5h 

Duncan: Common Core Criticism is “Political Silliness” | Truth in American Education

Duncan: Common Core Criticism is “Political Silliness” | Truth in American Education: Duncan: Common Core Criticism is “Political Silliness”Filed in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on October 2, 2013 • 0 Comments402Alyson Klein reported on U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s recent remarks at the National Press Club.First thing to note, apparently tea party activists are dumb a

by mike simpson / 6h 

Feds extend rural school funding program for at least one more year - SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Feds extend rural school funding program for at least one more yearBy Kimberly BeltranWednesday, October 02, 2013Hundreds of rural school districts across the U.S. – including many in northern California – are breathing a sigh of relief this week following Congress’s long-awaited extension of a program that provides $328 million to support schools, r

by mike simpson / 6h 

Education Research Report: Common Core Math Fails to Prepare Students for College

Education Research Report: Common Core Math Fails to Prepare Students for College: Common Core Math Fails to Prepare Students for CollegeNational mathematics standards adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia that supporters say are designed to make high school graduates “college- and career-ready” and improve the critical science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pipeline do not p

by mike simpson / 6h 

Moderate reformers need to jump into polarized education... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Moderate reformers need to jump into polarized education... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Moderate reformers need to jump into polarized education debate where truth gets trampled  0 0 0 NewMarching in lockstep. Education needs the moderate middle to tell the more nuanced and real story of education reform.Previous PostsA matter of time: Should school start later for sleep-starved teens? October 1

by mike simpson / 6h 

Crisis in California's schools: 250,000 schoolchildren need glasses - latimes.com

Crisis in California's schools: 250,000 schoolchildren need glasses - latimes.com: Crisis in California's schools: 250,000 schoolchildren need glassesNearly all California public school students who need glasses enter school without them. It's a problem that's simple to remedy.Sarah Garcia of Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School wrinkles her nose as she tries on numerous frames while opticia

by mike simpson / 7h 

10-2-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: CMS, HMS and self-audits.I posted yesterday about the letter that was sent to Illinois retirees regarding Teachers Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP) eligibility. Central Management Services (CMS) has contracted with a national firm, HMS, that specializes in cost control through audits of members’ cl

by mike simpson / 7h 

Morning Wink 10-2-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYMy Letter to the TIMES, September 29, 2013 | Bill AyersMy Letter to the TIMES, September 29, 2013 | Bill Ayers: My Letter to the TIMES, September 29, 2013“Principal and Teacher, A Complex Duet” is a confused and confusing account of one of the central pillars of corporate school reform: teacher evaluation.Brent Staples’ easy dismissal of the substanti

1 by mike simpson / 7h 

My Letter to the TIMES, September 29, 2013 | Bill Ayers

My Letter to the TIMES, September 29, 2013 | Bill Ayers: My Letter to the TIMES, September 29, 2013“Principal and Teacher, A Complex Duet” is a confused and confusing account of one of the central pillars of corporate school reform: teacher evaluation.Brent Staples’ easy dismissal of the substantive objections by teachers to the Chicago plan, and the superficial conclusion that “the new system wil

by mike simpson / 7h 

10-2-13 @ The Chalk Face

@ THE CHALK FACE: Dear Secretary Mister Duncan, SirMy name is Jill O’Malley Conroy, and five months ago today I became one of those “arm chair pundits” you described to our fellow Americans yesterday. My alternate name in this “alternate universe”, or “blogosphere”, as you also dubbed it, is The Indignant Teacher. My goal as such right now is to make sure our […]by jillconroy / 51min 10-1-13 @ The

by mike simpson / 7h 

More Than One-Third of Preschoolers “Chronically Absent”, Chicago Study Finds |

More Than One-Third of Preschoolers “Chronically Absent”, Chicago Study Finds |: More Than One-Third of Preschoolers “Chronically Absent”, Chicago Study FindsOctober 2, 2013 by Alyssa HaywoodePhoto: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for ChildrenRecent research points to troubling absenteeism in the early grades; and a new report from Chicago looks at the specific problem of preschool absenteeism.

by mike simpson / 7h 

10-2-13 Schools Matter

Schools Matter: Options PCS Featured in Today's Charter School Crime LogA clip from WaPo:In the court complaint, D.C. officials allege that the managers’ salaries were far out of line with what public officials make, especially given the size of the school.Montgomery’s “salary and bonuses from Options PCS during a one-year period — at least $425,000 combined — totaled more than the salary of the P

by mike simpson / 7h 

Educators Take Stand Against Bullying During National Bullying Prevention Month | NEA Today

Educators Take Stand Against Bullying During National Bullying Prevention Month | NEA Today: Educators Take Stand Against Bullying During National Bullying Prevention MonthOctober 2, 2013 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Sara Robertson and Edward GrahamOctober marks the observance of National Bullying Prevention Month, an annual campaign that brings educators, sc

by mike simpson / 7h 

Do We Really Need Connected Educators? | My Island View

Do We Really Need Connected Educators? | My Island View: Do We Really Need Connected Educators?October 2, 2013 by tomwhitbyTo answer this question in the very month that the United States Department of Education has set aside to recognize as Connected Educator Month, we need to first examine what a connected educator is. We also need to understand to what it is that educators are connected.The way

by mike simpson / 9h 

John White warns that school reforms movement won't survive unless it reforms itself | NOLA.com

John White warns that school reforms movement won't survive unless it reforms itself | NOLA.com: John White warns that school reforms movement won't survive unless it reforms itselfState Superintendent John White, a prominent figure in the education movement that turned New Orleans into a city of choice and charter schools, warned Tuesday that the movement is under attack and won't survive unless

by mike simpson / 10h 

Diane Ravitch’s new book criticizes ‘reform’ movement | EdSource Today

Diane Ravitch’s new book criticizes ‘reform’ movement | EdSource Today: Diane Ravitch’s new book criticizes ‘reform’ movementOctober 1st, 2013 | Comments Off | By Lillian MongeauDiane Ravitch discussing her book, “Reign of Error,” on stage in Stanford’s Memorial Hall. Credit: Barbara McKenna, SCOPEDiane Ravitch was at Stanford University on Monday to discuss her most recent book,“Reign of Error,” 

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: EduShyster: Adell Cothorne Speaks!Adell Cothorne is the brave principal in Washington, D.C., who reported to her headquarters that she saw cheating going on. She was featured on a PBS Frontline special about the uncertain legacy of Michelle Rhee. What happened after she reported cheating by a group of staff? Nothing. Nothing except

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-2-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Video- Inspiring Brooklyn New School Principal Anna Allanbrook: BNS Principal's weekly letter 10.1.13How come so many progressive principals like Anna Allanbrook and Carol Burris have become heroes to so many teachers while we look at our union leadership with disdain? I was inspired last night when I taped the panel at Anna Allanbrook's remarkable statement with Shael Polokow-Sur

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-2-13M Perdido Street School

Perdido Street School: Cuomo To Appoint Pataki, McCall To "Tax Cut Task Force"Anybody who thinks a Mayor de Blasio is getting a tax increase on rich people in Governor Andrew Cuomo's re-election year should take note of this news: ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo is turning to the Republican who defeated his father to come up with ways to cut taxes, the Daily News has learned. In a surprising announc

by mike simpson / 10h 

10-2-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: October’s (2013) Best Tweets — Part OneEvery month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave

by mike simpson / 10h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan's diatribe

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan's diatribe: Duncan's diatribepun·ditnoun1. an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public. 2. a learned man : teacherEd Sec. Arne Duncan has lashed out at his critics, referring to them (us) as "armchair pundits". His attempt as silencing is particularly directed at those who point to po

by mike simpson / 10h 

Making Money in K-12 Schools Is Hard To Do …for Some Companies | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Making Money in K-12 Schools Is Hard To Do …for Some Companies | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Making Money in K-12 Schools Is Hard To Do …for Some CompaniesFor all of the three-decade hype about how business practices applied to K-12 schools will make them more efficient and high performing, a short hop and skip through the past half-century of for-profit companies failing

by mike simpson / 10h 

L.A. Unified can't afford $1-billion budget wish list, official says - latimes.com

L.A. Unified can't afford $1-billion budget wish list, official says - latimes.com: L.A. Unified can't afford $1-billion budget wish list, official saysComments15EmailShare21By Teresa WatanabeOctober 1, 2013, 9:58 p.m.L.A. Unified will need more than $1 billion to pay for additional teachers, a longer school year and other items favored by Board of Education members -- but the chance of acquiring

by mike simpson / 10h 

No More Status Quo — Why We Must Improve the Social Standing of Teachers | toteachornototeach

No More Status Quo — Why We Must Improve the Social Standing of Teachers | toteachornototeach: No More Status Quo — Why We Must Improve the Social Standing of Teachers by Vikas PotaWe all know that no school and, importantly, no education system is better than the quality of its teachers and school leaders. There is global consensus about this but little has been done to understand what, apart fro

by mike simpson / 10h 

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Taking Back the Teaching Profession: Can It Be Done?

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Taking Back the Teaching Profession: Can It Be Done?: Taking Back the Teaching Profession: Can It Be Done?Rae Pica asks, “Why are teachers the "Rodney Dangerfields" of the professional world?” on BAM Radio. Her guests move beyond lamenting the lack of respect teachers. They have some theories, and, better than that, they have some advice on how teac

by mike simpson / 10h 

Duncan’s unusual ‘state of education’ report

Duncan’s unusual ‘state of education’ report: Duncan’s unusual ‘state of education’ reportBy Valerie Strauss, Published: October 2 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer0CommentsMoreEducation Secretary Arne Duncan                 (By Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)Education Secretary Arne Duncan delivered what he called his annual “state of education in America” report at the National Press Club this we

by mike simpson / 10h 

LAUSD'S IPAD FIASCO - IT'S A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES - Perdaily.com

LAUSD'S IPAD FIASCO - IT'S A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES - Perdaily.com: LAUSD'S IPAD FIASCO - IT'S A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES(Mensaje se repite en Español)In the Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, the pauper passing as a prince uses the powerful Great Seal of England to open walnuts, because he doesn't know its power or how else to use it. The issuance of obscenely overpriced IPads to all LAUSD studen

by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

You Weren't Working Anyways (On The Government Shutdown) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

You Weren't Working Anyways (On The Government Shutdown) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: You Weren’t Working Anyways (On The Government Shutdown)by JOSE VILSON on OCTOBER 1, 2013in JOSESpeaker John BoehnerWhen I woke up this morning, I felt no different from the day before. The lights came on, the water ran for the shower, the locks didn’t loosen, and the sun took its sweet time rising past t

by mike simpson / 20h 

10-1-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Easily Create A “Portrait” Of Your Twitter ConnectionsI’ve previously used Vizify to make a thirty-second “greatest hits” animation of your time on Twitter You can read about it at Read Write Web, and check mine out below: Just made a movie of my twitter: vizify.com/mrferlazzo/twi… What do you think? #FollowMe #Vizify — Lar

by mike simpson / 20h 

Once I Believed | Connected Principals

Once I Believed | Connected Principals: Once I BelievedOctober 1, 2013By sleibowitzcc licensed image shared by flickr user UNE PhotosRecently my leadership coach presented me with a challenge: write about what you have learned in your years of experience as a school leader that you bring to the new position you have begun this year. The task sparked my imagination as I remembered the young educato

by mike simpson / 22h 

Nite Cap 10-1-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change

James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAYThe “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee | Seattle EducationThe “Magical Me” Ms. Rhee | Seattle Education: The “Magical Me” Ms. RheeThe other day I received the type of comment that I love to respond to. I initially thought I would reply to the angry attac

by mike simpson / 23h

2nd Banana 9-28-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 
2nd Banana 9-21-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 9-14-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Nite Cap 10-1-13 

Nite Cap 9-30-13 

Nite Cap 9-29-13

Nite Cap 9-28-13 

Nite Cap 9-27-13 

Nite Cap 9-26-13 

Nite Cap 9-25-13 

Nite Cap 9-24-13 

Nite Cap 9-23-13

Nite Cap 9-22-13 

Nite Cap 9-21-13

Nite Cap 9-19-13

Nite Cap 9-18-13 

Torlakson Applauds Testing Overhaul - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

Torlakson Applauds Testing Overhaul - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Testing Overhaul

Outdated assessments set aside to measure readiness for college and careers

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson congratulated Governor Jerry Brown and the State Legislature for their work to sweep away outdated tests in favor of modern, computer-based assessments that will measure student readiness for the challenges of college and the workplace.

"Faced with the choice of preparing California's children for the future or continuing to cling to outdated policies of the past, our state's leaders worked together and made the right choice for our students," Torlakson said. "These new assessments represent a challenge for our education system—but a lifetime of opportunity for students. As a teacher, I'm thrilled to see our state and our schools once again leading the way."

Torlakson hailed the Governor's signing today of Assembly Bill 484, the State Superintendent's sponsored legislation to remake the state's student assessment system to reflect the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

The legislation, authored by Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla (D-Concord), was based on Torlakson's recommendations for modernizing the student testing system, which were published in a comprehensive report issued in January.

The new law suspends most Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) assessments for the current school year, allowing school districts to prepare for and transition to the new California Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress assessments, which are slated for administration statewide in the 2014-15 school year.

The new assessments will be computer-based, allowing for a much broader range of test questions than the multiple-choice exams given under STAR. As a result, the new assessments are expected to emphasize critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving, modeling the kind of teaching and learning needed to prepare all students for the demands of college and the modern workplace.

Part of the assessment system, developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter), also will be computer adaptive, so that a student's prior responses affect the difficulty of subsequent questions, allowing a far more precise measurement of student skills and knowledge than the former tests.

For the current school year, AB 484 requires districts to administer field tests of the Smarter Balanced assessments—with half of the students taking math and the other half taking English-language arts. Field tests serve as "tests of the tests" allowing experts to discern the accuracy and reliability of individual test questions before finalizing the assessments for full-scale use. As such, no field test scores will be produced or reported during the field test year.

California is one of 45 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories that formally have adopted the CCSS for mathematics and English‒language arts. The proposed revisions to align the state's assessment system with the new standards adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010 mark a key milestone in implementing the CCSS.

California serves as a governing state in Smarter, a multistate‒led group that has been working collaboratively to develop a student assessment system aligned with the CCSS.

The Smarter Balanced assessments were designed to meet federal- and state-level accountability requirements and provide teachers and parents with timely and accurate information to measure student performance and progress.

"I've said from the beginning, California needs tests that measure how ready our students are for the challenges of a changing world," Torlakson said. "Today, we have taken a huge step in that direction by creating an assessment system focused on improving teaching and learning and by sending a clear signal about our commitment to this urgent work."

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Spring 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test

Information on the Smarter Balanced Field Test that will be administered in the spring 2014.

---

The Smarter Balanced Field Test will take place between March 18 and June 6, 2014. Students in grades three through eight and grade eleven will be assessed via computer in English-language arts and mathematics. A small sample of grade nine and grade ten students will also participate in the Field Test.

Purpose and Benefits of the Field Test

A field test is not designed to be a valid and reliable measure of student achievement; rather, it is designed to help the test developers evaluate whether the tests, individual items, and the technology platform work as intended before the first operational administration.

        — Deborah S. Delisle
        U.S. Department of Education

Field testing is critical to ensure that assessment items are accessible to all students and produce results that are valid, reliable, and fair. The purpose of the spring 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test (FT) is to test the performance of over 20,000 newly developed test items and evaluate the test delivery system. Items deemed suitable for use on the live (i.e., operational) tests, which begin in 2015, will be used to populate the test item bank. Also, the FT will help ensure that the Smarter Balanced assessment items are placed on an accurate scale to determine final achievement levels (i.e., cut scores) as well as their corresponding descriptors.

The spring 2014 Field Test will be fully computer-based. Participation in the Field Test will give students, teachers, administrators, and local educational agencies valuable exposure to the future assessment system:

• Students will gain hands-on experience with the functionality of innovative technology-enhanced items and newly designed performance tasks with related classroom activities.
• Teachers and administrators will gain valuable exposure to administration logistics to better prepare for smooth and successful participation in the operational assessments, which will begin in the 2014–15 school year.
• Local educational agencies will benefit from knowing where technology gaps may exist so they can fully prepare for the operational assessments.

Selection of Schools for the Field Test

Assembly Bill 484, which was signed into law on October 2, 2013, requires all local educational agencies to participate in the spring 2014 Field Test.

Questions and Answers

Field Test Questions and Answers (Updated 02-Oct-2013)
Answers to questions about requirements and expectations of local educational agency participation in the spring 2014 Field Test.

Related Content

• Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium - Latest information about new generation of English-language arts and mathematics assessments.

Questions:   Statewide Assessment Transition Office | sbac@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-8517

Full Funding Friday This Week | WeArePCAPS

Full Funding Friday This Week | WeArePCAPS:

Full Funding Friday This Week

Posted on October 2, 2013by wearepcaps

Full Funding Friday Week Four

This Friday, as part of our ongoing Full Funding Friday Campaign, we will be holding rallies at 7 schools, with parent, staff and student speakers.   We will be circulating our petition for full funding, distributing buttons and stickers with the yellow full funding school bus and we will help parents file complaints about conditions in their school.   Join us if you can, wear the button if you have it, change your facebook profile to the yellow school bus or otherwise to something to draw attention to the conditions in our schools and the need to get  our children the resources they need.

Here’s the schedule for this week:

John Bartram High School 2401 S. 67th St.  7:15

Alain Locke Elementary 4550 Haverford Ave. 7:45

Franklin Learning Center 616 N. 15th St.  7:15

Kensington CAPA 1901 N. Front St. 7:45

Olney Elementary School Tabor and Water Sts. 7:45

Lincoln High School 3201 Ryan Ave.  7:15

Thomas Mifflin Elementary, 3624 Conrad St.  7:45

Paid Family Leave in California: All is not well « MomsRising Blog

Paid Family Leave in California: All is not well « MomsRising Blog:

Paid Family Leave in California: All is not well

Posted October 2nd, 2013 by Susan Rose

Update: On September 24, 2013, Governor Brown signed SB 770, which will take effect of July 1, 2014. This bill will expand the definition of family for the California Paid Family Leave Act.

 

On Jan. 9, 2012, Women’s eNews published my article, “Paid Family Leave Pays-Let’s Buy in This Year.”

I wrote it in response to a Human Rights Watch report written by Janet Walsh and published in 2011 describing the lack of paid family leave programs in the United States.

Their report showed that a lack of paid leave can increase sickness and poverty for families, as well as job discrimination.

My job after reading the report seemed to be hailing California’s Paid Family Leave Act, PFLA, and the positive reaction from the business community. I concluded it was time we elected more representatives who would support legislation like the California law that would improve women’s work lives.

Passed in 2002 and implemented in 2004, the law provides unemployment disability compensation to employees who take time off from work to “care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, domestic partner or bond with a newborn baby, adopted or foster.”

It turns out all is not so well with paid family leave in California.

In reaction to my article, the Labor Project for Working Families directed me to recent research that revealed pot holes in how the California law was being used.

Although awareness has increased over the years, research in 2011 by the California Field Poll showed less than 45 percent of workers in our state have adequate knowledge of the program.

In Los Angeles County, the largest metropolitan area in the state, workers have an awareness of less than 35 percent. For those with “lower household incomes and limited education” the figure is below 30 percent.

Among aware respondents, less than 14 percent of women and 7 percent of men had taken advantage of it. Fears of job loss and retaliation were key reasons.

Read more: http://www.momsrising.org/blog/paid-family-leave-in-california-all-is-not-well/#ixzz2gbfJe7vg

NYC Educator: The Old, Old Story

NYC Educator: The Old, Old Story:

The Old, Old Story

The more I read about the new evaluation system, the more I go to meetings about it, the more I hear about its intricate, convoluted and inexplicable structure, the more I'm reminded of a story I heard when I first started teaching. I was an English teacher, I had five (!) preps, no idea what the contract said, and I was overwhelmed with paperwork.

It took me hours to write lesson plans each day, and as if that weren't enough, I had to give capsule plans on a weekly basis to my supervisor, who helped me not at all. She would call me in the office and tell me ridiculous stories about making meatballs, or the student she appeared to be shacking up with. I was completely on my own. As if the lesson planning weren't enough, I had a stack full of papers to correct and return that seemed to grow larger every time I got through one class set.

We didn't have access to copy machines in those days. Only the principal's office held a machine like that. We had to use rexograph machines. If we were lucky, they were automatic. If not, we had to hand crank every single unreadable copy. For the parts that were really unclear, you could clarify by writing on the blackboard, if you had a blackboard, and if you had chalk.

Anyway, one of the older English teachers was always holding court after school at a dive bar around the block. He spoke of dropping the papers down the stairs, and grading them depending upon which stair they fell. It sounded to me like a great 

10-2-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

Garfield Incident Updates

From the Seattle Times, SPD are talking to six GHS students about the Garfield hazing event.  No arrests have been made and SPD will contact the parents of the students.  In the comments section, there were some more details (wild ones) about this incident.  It is clear that like Rashomon, it depends on who you are, where you were and what you saw.I have requested the SPD police report on this inc

by Melissa Westbrook / 5min 

From The Onion: Civics Lesson for Congress

With lawmakers still at an impasse over increasing the debt ceiling, a special team of 40 eighth-grade civics teachers was air-dropped into Washington earlier today in a last-ditch effort to teach congressional leaders how the government’s legislative process works. “We started them off with the basics, like the difference between a senator and a representative, and then moved on to more complex c

by Melissa Westbrook / 15min 

Education News Roundup

Dual-language in Washington State - a view from Seattle Globalist.A MacArthur Genius award went to an educational researcher, Angela Duckworth.  From Ed Week:Educational research psychologist and former teacher Angela Duckworth has devoted her career to understanding traits beyond IQ or test-taking abilities that predict a student's success— including grit and self-control. It is perhaps her own p

by Melissa Westbrook / 32min 

10-1-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadInteresting six-part series on math in the NY Times, Me, Myself and Math.Oh those kids! Looks like LA high school students found it quite easy to hack into their new school-issued iPads.One week after students started receiving their iPads, students attending at least three Los Angeles high schools had figured out how to disarm a built-in securit

by mike simpson / 5h 

A Parent Confronts a Puppet on BESE | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

A Parent Confronts a Puppet on BESE | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

A Parent Confronts a Puppet on BESE

Posted on October 2, 2013

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I would like to thank all of you who came out to support our call to take back public education in Louisiana at the Rally this Saturday. I spoke with many parents and teachers (in both public and private schools) about their concerns about the federal Common Core Curriculum, and informed them of many other goings on at the Louisiana Department of Education. I explained just tiniest fraction of the issues I’ve covered over the past two years and I literally saw jaws dropping open in disbelief. Most parents and teachers have been oblivious to what has been going on with education in our State, but they are starting to wake up and ask questions, and for that I am especially thankful.

As I said during my speech to close out the rally, we must engage our political leaders, and ask them the hard questions that they have never been asked. They have lived a life of legislative leisure, ignoring any opposition and critiques of the policies that have been handed to them by non-parents; by outsiders; by corporations and wealthy individuals seeking to profit from our children and our state. I asked you to contact these leaders that have pledged to represent our 

With A Brooklyn Accent: Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test Machine

With A Brooklyn Accent: Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test Machine:

Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test Machine

OPT-OUT/REFUSAL GUIDES FOR EACH STATE

Opt-Out/Refusal Guides for each State | United Opt Out National: 

Moving from Defense to Offense in the Battle against the Test Machine

Friends! I am a coach as much as a teacher and my coach's instinct tells me it is time to move from defense to offense in the battle to push back the Test Machine and Save our Public Schools.

1. Take it to the streets. Participate in every march and demonstration against Corporate Education Reform taking place in your communit...y. For me, this means joining the protest against Education Nation at the NY Public library on Sunday. It also means mobilizing for the teachers March on Washington on July 28.

2. Support all forms of Test Resistance from Opting Out to returning Test Scores. As teachers, we may not be able to do this directly, but as parents and grandparents, we have the legal right to do so.

3. Bombard those responsible for Teacher and Child Abuse with 

KKK asks panel to keep school named after ‘grand wizard’ of white-supremacist group:

KKK asks panel to keep school named after ‘grand wizard’ of white-supremacist group

By Valerie Strauss, Published: October 2 at 3:26 pmE-mail the writer

Nathan Bedford Forrest (nps.gov)

Here’s the latest in the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff story about a school in Florida that is still named after the first “grand wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan. A current “imperial kaltrop” of the KKK has written a letter to members of the Duval County School Board urging them not to change the name this week when they meet to discuss the issue.

The school is Nathan B. Forrest High School and, as Iwrote in this recent post, a petition with nearly 120,000 names on change.org is asking the Florida school district to change the name. Back in April 2007, when the school board was asked by the School Advisory Council to change the name, the panel voted 5-2 against it, but there are new members on the panel now.

Why is the school named after a KKK grand wizard? When it opened in 1959, a number of names were suggested but an organization called the Daughters of the Confederacy somehow won the day with Nathan B. Forrest, who was a Confederate  general in the Civil War and the first  “grand wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, more than half of the school’s students are African American. You can read below a description of that 1959 

Common Writing Standards are Essential for Latino Advancement « NewsTaco

Common Writing Standards are Essential for Latino Advancement « NewsTaco:

Common Writing Standards are Essential for Latino Advancement

 By Ray Salazar, NewsTaco

By now, the term “Common Core” has probably found its way into at least one conversation about education, come through in a tweet, or created some buzz, positive or negative.

As an English teacher who holds a master’s degree in writing, I’m grateful and inspired by the Common Core’s focus on writing skills.  The Common Core standards, as you likely know, “reflect the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers’ in the 21st century.

Critics dismiss Common Core as the corporate takeover of education.  Regardless of these views, “writing,” Marquette University reminds us, “is the primary basis upon which your work, your learning, and your intellect will be judged–in college, in the workplace, and in the community.”  If we as teachers and parents want our children–especially Latinos–to succeed in this century, we must accept the Common Core Standards.

In the literacy standards, Common Core presents writing instruction in two components:

1. Writing in terms of purpose, distribution, research, and range.  This is demonstrated at the whole-text or paragraph level.

2. Language in terms of punctuation, grammar, and